The present subject matter relates generally to an energy generator and storage system for vehicles. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electric energy generator and storage system using a wind-driven turbine whose operation is assisted by an air evacuation unit.
Although the internal combustion engine has been the overwhelming market leader in vehicle propulsion since the early 20th-century, electric vehicles hold great promise. However, the state of the art in electric vehicles is sub-optimal.
First, electric vehicle driving range is limited. On www.tesla.com, the 2019 model of the Tesla Model S is advertised as “the longest electric range of any car on the road—up to 335 miles.” However, up to 335 miles is not long enough for all drivers' needs. Moreover, the range is highly dependent on driving conditions, including speed, traffic, driving style, etc. and can be much lower than the advertised range. The ability to practically extend the range of the vehicles is dependent on the network of available charging stations, which is less than complete, even in the most developed countries.
Another complication with the batteries used in electric vehicles is the time they take to recharge. In some instances, a full charge may take a few hours (e.g., typical electric sedan). In other instances, it can be an overnight process (e.g., electric bus). In order to shorten the recharge time, a charging station can provide a higher voltage recharger, but just as the higher voltages shorten recharge times, they also reduce battery life.
In addition to having a limited lifespan, the battery packs used to power electric vehicles have been large and expensive. In some instances, a single battery pack for an electric sedan may top 1,200 lbs. and replacement costs are often prohibitively expensive.
On top of this, the battery packs used in electric vehicles are volatile and a fire hazard. For example, collisions have been known to ignite the battery packs with the resultant fires reaching temperatures of 1,500 degrees.
The costs of the battery packs used in electric vehicles are not limited to those described above; in many instances, the used battery packs that are no longer useful for service become an environmental hazard. For example, many lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles contain both nickel and cobalt, which are highly toxic metals. The cost to recover and recycle out-of-service batteries is important to factor into the true cost of the vehicles themselves; otherwise a substantial environmental risk is being ignored.
The environmental impact is not limited to the disposal/recycling of batteries; the generation of the electric energy used to charge the battery also impacts the environment. While these impacts are often significantly lower than the impacts of a comparable internal combustion engine, they are not negligible and, therefore, any improvement to the cleanliness of the electric energy generation would be an improvement to the existing technology.
Accordingly, there is a need for an energy generator and storage system for vehicles, as described herein.